NHTSA Complaint #10173941 — 2003 NISSAN MURANO

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE SEAT IN MY MURANO BROKE LOOSE AS I WAS HEADED INTO A CURVE. THE SEAT ACTUALLY THREW ME INTO THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR AND CAUSED ME TO JERK THE WHEEL AND RUN OFF OF THE ROAD. UPON THOROUGH EXAMINATION BY MY SELF AND AN AUTHORIZED NISSAN DEALERSHIP, A BRACKET THAT HOLDS THE SEAT SECURE TO THE TRACK SYSTEM HAD BROKEN. THE MECHANIC ADVISED ME THAT IT WAS A DEFECT AND THAT HE HAD NOT SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE. THIS PARTICULAR SUPPORT BRACKET IS A CRITICAL PIECE OF THE SEAT ASSEMBLY AND WITHOUT THIS PIECE THE VEHICLE IS DIFFICULT TO SAFELY DRIVE AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. ALSO, THE PIECE IS MOST LIKELY TO BREAK UNDER TENSION SUCH AS ENTERING A CURVE AS WAS THE SITUATION IN MY CASE, OR SWERVING TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. IN EITHER EVENT, THE UNEXPECTED MALFUNCTION COULD CAUSE THE DRIVER TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. MORE TROUBLING IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE PIECE WOULD BREAK IN A COLLISION, THEREBY THROWING THE DRIVER INTO THE DRIVER DOOR AND THE DRIVER'S HEAD INTO THE GLASS. I HAVE CONTACTED BOTH NISSAN AND THE DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ABOUT THE PART ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THEIR STANCE IS THAT THOUGH THE PART IS DEFECTIVE, THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT THEY WILL NEITHER REPAIR MY VEHICLE NOR ADDRESS THE ISSUE WITH A RECALL TO AVOID ANY FUTURE ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES. I EVEN OFFERED TO SEND NISSAN PICTURES OF THE BROKEN PART AND THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED. THE REPRESENTATIVE DID NOT EVEN BOTHER TO LOG IN THE CORRECT PART WHEN I SPOKE WITH HIM. HE LOGGED IT AS A BROKEN SEAT TRACK. WHEN I ADVISED HIM THAT IT WAS NOT THE SEAT TRACK BUT THE ACTUAL SEAT, HE DISMISSED IT BY SAYING THAT WAS THE CATEGORY THAT NISSAN HAD ESTABLISHED FOR SEAT MALFUNCTIONS. *JB